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It no doubt escapes the notice of the aristos and capitalists, most of whom are married to decorative ladies who know little of work, but the wives of the working classes bear the same burdens, and often earn the same wages as their menfolk. And I know from personal experience, are as politically astute, or more so, as those menfolk. It is only simple justice that they have the vote.

Dirk Hendrickx Minister of Health and Welfare and Minister of State for Brussels

I suppose I should inform my mother and her friends that their work helping the poor through various charities is not real work and they should stop immediately. These attempts to cause strife between social classes are pointless when it is clear that all people contribute to the country's well-being, just in different ways.

Suffrage Amendment: Aye

NDP
 
Another shameless attempt to divide the Socialist movement in the name of personal interest.
It seems that "Comrade" Poirot just can't help himself. No matter, the next elections will see him excluded from the parliament by our own electors, they don't like opportunists.

- Carl Coppens, Socialist Deputy

Why, Monsieur Coppens, the socialist movement has been divided for a long time. Any perception of unity has been but a facade, beneath it lies the true fractures within our movement. One can see this clearly with the attacks on Monsieur de Coock by your colleague, the right and high Monsieur Dupointe, who questions his continuation within the party because he didn't support an "important" party policy. A man is allowed to hold his own opinions, which you and your radical colleagues seem to be unable to understand. That is why socialism is dividing and why it is doomed to do so. Radicals and moderates can only tolerate each other for so long before they are at each others throats, there is no avoiding this. Men such as you do not make this any less evident.

In any case, I do hope that the moderates within the BSU realize the mistake they have made in continuing to associate themselves with the radicals. It will only injure them in the long run. I once again leave the SDP open to any and all moderate socialists who wish to leave the radicals behind and join a party of their colleagues who wish to actually seek further social reform rather than waste their efforts on others things that shall only end in failure.

~ Georges Poirot, Deputy for Mons
 
((What doth the in-game Senate say about women's suffrage at this stage, TH?))

((As I noted in the update, Women's Suffrage is now IG possible.))

((What are the GP rankings?))

((Going from memory, I think it's UK, NGF, France, US, Austria, Japan, Belgium, Russia, but the last four are all in reasonably close quarters score-wise.))
 
((Unfortunately, a lot of IRL obligations have rendered lengthy IC impossible at this time, but I would appreciate it if we made some sort of plan about the incoming African revolt...))

Suffrage Amendment: Aye

[NDP]

- Pierre Savarin, P.M.
 
Why, Monsieur Coppens, the socialist movement has been divided for a long time. Any perception of unity has been but a facade, beneath it lies the true fractures within our movement. One can see this clearly with the attacks on Monsieur de Coock by your colleague, the right and high Monsieur Dupointe, who questions his continuation within the party because he didn't support an "important" party policy. A man is allowed to hold his own opinions, which you and your radical colleagues seem to be unable to understand. That is why socialism is dividing and why it is doomed to do so. Radicals and moderates can only tolerate each other for so long before they are at each others throats, there is no avoiding this. Men such as you do not make this any less evident.

In any case, I do hope that the moderates within the BSU realize the mistake they have made in continuing to associate themselves with the radicals. It will only injure them in the long run. I once again leave the SDP open to any and all moderate socialists who wish to leave the radicals behind and join a party of their colleagues who wish to actually seek further social reform rather than waste their efforts on others things that shall only end in failure.

~ Georges Poirot, Deputy for Mons
What an infinite load of nonsense!

The Belgian Socialists must stand together if we want to have any influence over Belgian politics, division would only mean the end of any hopes for future social or political conquests and the strengthening of our enemies in the far-right. Moderates and Radicals have compromised for years, more than tolerated each other, we even created specific systems to ensure than no factions could ever overcome the other, only now a lone stubborn opportunist has risen hoping to destroy our unity for his own self-interest, what are his arguments?

Poirot is trying to use a little incident between two of our deputies as a mean to wash away decades of internal tolerance and compromise, he accuses us of intolerance and authoritarianism even through our history has always been one of continued compromise and even through many of our ministers in the current government are moderate, it seems that we Radicals have a very strange notion of "intolerance" if we wish to empower the same people we allegedly want to suppress!
Poirot is simply slandering and weakening us before our enemies, he is nothing more than a de-facto ally of the Conservatives, a pawn that is doing their interests.

Do not listen to this liar, the BSU is a tolerant and open party where both Radicals and Moderates can speak freely and, inevitably, disagree with each other. In the end it is our internal Democracy, our own electors, that choose who among us will lead our party, while giving everyone the freedom to express their opinion.
Ignore those who try to divide our union, for they are doing the interests of the Conservatives and the Reactionaries, either unwillingly or even willingly.

- Carl Coppens, Socialist Deputy
 
Why, Monsieur Coppens, the socialist movement has been divided for a long time. Any perception of unity has been but a facade, beneath it lies the true fractures within our movement. One can see this clearly with the attacks on Monsieur de Coock by your colleague, the right and high Monsieur Dupointe, who questions his continuation within the party because he didn't support an "important" party policy. A man is allowed to hold his own opinions, which you and your radical colleagues seem to be unable to understand. That is why socialism is dividing and why it is doomed to do so. Radicals and moderates can only tolerate each other for so long before they are at each others throats, there is no avoiding this. Men such as you do not make this any less evident.

In any case, I do hope that the moderates within the BSU realize the mistake they have made in continuing to associate themselves with the radicals. It will only injure them in the long run. I once again leave the SDP open to any and all moderate socialists who wish to leave the radicals behind and join a party of their colleagues who wish to actually seek further social reform rather than waste their efforts on others things that shall only end in failure.

~ Georges Poirot, Deputy for Mons

I respect differences of opinions but I simply do not see how someone who does not support woman's suffrage has a place in the socialist movement. This leads me to believe that many moderates have lost sight of the mission of socialism. We are not just trying to reforms piecemeal- that is the purpose of Liberalism. We want to reform the entire capitalist system.
 
While I am sympathetic to the urge to expand suffrage, it is a bold step. Has any other nation taken this step? While I ruminate further on this issue I shall abstain for now.

Suffrage Amendment: Abstain

[MLP]
 
While I am sympathetic to the urge to expand suffrage, it is a bold step. Has any other nation taken this step? While I ruminate further on this issue I shall abstain for now.

Suffrage Amendment: Abstain

[MLP]

I appreciate your ruminations, M. Regard, though, should it help you, I would note that, were we all to wait for someone else to expand the franchise, it would never be done.

J. B. H.​

((Here's how it played out historically, though.))
 
((Belgium - 1948))

((Considering the circumstances, I'm not sure one should really take that as a decent guide. Our Belgium is very different, after all.))
 
I wish to ask Dupointe and de Cook to shut up. De Coock made some good points, and has it's reasons to abstain. You really shouldn't start to offend your fellow party members, I warn you.

- Josef de Leeuw
 
Gentlemen of the Chamber,

I come to you, not in my capacity as an officer but that of a private citizen, to humbly petition you to consider a few proposals for the government of Belgium and its empire.

In recent times, a grave loophole in our system of parliamentary accountability has been exposed. The Prime Minister, as the head of government, may be held accountable a motion of confidence; but his ministers are afforded no such procedure. As a result, the intransigence of a single, unpopular minister nearly brought down the government. Such would have been the only way to remove a single man from government. It was only because of the bravery of the honourable Mr Burke, amongst others, in renouncing their ministerial positions to challenge this man, that he was finally expunged without the necessity of fresh elections. Cabinet collectivism has become a shield for ministers who are incompetent or corrupt to hide behind the distinction and virtue of their colleagues. Therefore, I propose to rectify this oversight by the following bill:

Accountability Act

I. Any member of the Chamber of Deputies may initiate a motion of confidence in an officer of the Executive Cabinet (excluding the Prime Minister).
II. The motion must be seconded by a member from a different political party before being put to vote.
III. If the motion is passed by simple majority of the chamber, the officer shall be removed from his ministerial office.
IV. Any officer impeached in such a manner cannot be reappointed to government for the remainder of that parliamentary session.
V. The same ministerial office cannot be consecutively subject to a motion of confidence in its incumbent within the same parliamentary session.

A previous bill to introduce a referendum on the Monarchy failed in what, for both proponents and opponents, must have been the least satisfying circumstances: not on the basis of principle, but of procedure. It is with reluctance that I delved into this issue, but I feel such intervention is necessary. It is my belief that this controversy has dragged on too long and too far. It must be permanently settled before it can become a Promethean punishment on this august body, distracting it from more pressing affairs. As such, I have formulated a proposal of my own that, bearing in mind the procedural failings of the previous bill, I present to the chamber:

Referendum Amendment and Execution Act

Part 1 - Constitutional Amendment


The following amendment is made to the Constitution:

Chapter 9 - The Legislative Process

Article 10
The Chamber of Deputies may present a legislative issue for popular referendum by a simple majority vote.​


Part 2 - Execution Act


I. There shall be a popular referendum, open to the participation of all enfranchised citizens and to be held within nine months.
II. The following question shall be posed: "Should Belgium be a republic?"
III. A republic is here defined as a political system where the head of state is directly elected by the enfranchised population, with no restrictions on candidacy based on heredity, family, class or community.
IV. If the referendum is passed by a simple majority, the Government is dismissed while the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate convene the Constitutional Convention, and the Monarch shall appoint a provisional, apolitical administration to tend to the affairs of state.
V. The Convention shall alter the Constitution along the republican parameters outlined in section III of this act.
VI. The Convention shall not be dismissed until the Constitution has been rendered entirely compatible with section III of this act.
VII. Upon the conclusion of the Convention, elections shall be immediately held and the previous order restored.​


Part 3 - Constitutional Amendment


Article 10 of Chapter 9 of the Constitution is removed.​

And finally, in order to assuage my concerns regarding the Mandate of the African Federation, in terms of its diversions from the original draft, I present that draft for the consideration of the chamber, with rectifications of my own errors. It is not my intention to circumvent or subvert the Prime Minister - only to determine whether parliamentary support for the Mandate emanated because of, or in spite of, the alterations made to it during the legislative process; and whether there is a preference for the original draft or the final presentation. I have excised all other amendments, including those pertaining to the Free State of Batavia, which I advise the Government to make arrangements for in a separate bill should this one be passed.

African Union Act

I. The Mandate of the African Federation shall be replaced by the following statute:


MANDATE FOR THE AFRICAN UNION

Preamble

Recognising that the destiny of Africa depends upon the establishment of superior government and justice for their inhabitants, having by dire experience appreciated the incorrigible faults of the previous system, and desiring the prosperity of the African people whose providence is entrusted to our hands by God, as well as the fidelity of future generations, and to further the existence, independence and liberty of the people of Belgium, the African Union is established for the general welfare and preservation of these African territories:

Chapter 1 - State and Government

Article I
The Union shall be a unitary state, agglomerating the Belgian territories of Benin, Sokoto and the Congo.

Article II
Each territory shall be divided into districts and regions proportional to their population and the beneficence of government by agents of the executive authority.

Chapter 2 - Executive Authority

Preamble
All rightful authority emanates from the will of the people. Therefore, that the integrity of the Union and the social equilibrium remain in order, the execute authority shall act in the popular interest and address the needs of the people.

Article I
The authority of supreme execution of the laws shall be vested in the Protector of the Union.

Article II
Every Monarch of Belgium, on ascending the throne, shall be invested as Protector of the Union and execute an oath to God, that he will preserve the Union and this Mandate.

Article III
The Protector is strictly bound to observe the laws and to supervise and implement their execution.

Article IV
The executive authority shall enact laws, impose taxes, contract public debts, alter the distribution of treasury revenues, wage war, conclude peace or treaties or any diplomatic act and take temporary and timely measures requisite for the security and peace of the Union.

Article V
The Protector shall serve as the fount of legality for all public acts, tribunals, courts of law, magistracies, coin and stamps.

Article VI
All the inferior magistracies shall be bound to the executive authority.

Article VII
The Protector shall appoint the Governor of the Union to vicariously exercise his authority and prerogatives.

Article VIII
The Governor shall in turn delegate his authority to inferior officers and magistracies.

Article IX
The Governor shall appoint such secretaries and commissioners as is necessary to ensure the function of government; namely, that of the public finances, of the police and state security, of agriculture and the interior, of justice and of correspondence.

Article X
The Governor shall commission officers and appoint officials pursuant to the provisions and requirements of law.

Chapter 3 - Judicial Authority

Preamble
To provide for an impartial and equitable judicial system, so that justice shall be universally expressed, from corner to corner, and no criminal may flout its edicts and every man may appeal to its virtue.

Article I
The judicial authority shall be exercised by magistracies instituted and appointed to that end.

Article II
These magistrates shall be autonomous, secure of tenure and accountable only to the rule of law.

Article III
The magistracies shall exercise independence in their deliberations and behave impartially in office.

Article IV
There shall be courts of the first instance for every district, the presiding officers appointed by the Belgian Ministry of Justice.

Article V
There shall be courts of second instance and chief tribunals for every region, the presiding officers appointed by the Belgian Ministry of Justice.

Article VI
The Court of Cassation in Africa shall be the supreme court of the Union, holding sway over every inferior court, its officers also appointed by the Belgian Ministry of Justice.

Article VII
The Court of Cassation in Africa shall serve as the court of first instance for crimes against the Protector and the Union and the court of last instance for all other criminal and civil matters.

Article VIII
A comprehensive code of civil and criminal laws shall be composed by agents employed by the Court of Cassation in Africa to provide for the judicial system in Africa.

Chapter 4 - Martial Authority

Article I
It is the duty of the Union Defence Force to protect the Union's borders and general peace, and to be its strongest shield against adversity and discord.

Article II
The Defence Force shall comprise all Belgian military assets in Africa.

Article III
The Defence Force shall provide for the defence of the Union, safeguard the Union fortresses and borders, and uphold Union and Belgian law.

Article IV
The Defence Force shall remain always in obedience to the executive authority, as prescribed by law, and shall express an oath of conformity to the Union and to the Protector.

Article V
The commander of the Defence Force shall be appointed by the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Belgian Unitary Command Authority.​


Please deign to accept, Sirs, this expression of my modest consideration,

Supreme-General
Xavier-Pierre Florian Thaddée
GKLS DSO POM FPS
Chief of the Defence Staff
 
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((Would this make Belgian Africa an IG dominion?))
 
deae320e4b2305ebe04aebd8f269008d53fc5dd7_Mazzini.jpg

Name: Maximiliaan Willem de Haan
Place of Birth: Brussels, Belgium
Date of Birth: 28th of October, 1863
Nationality: Flemish
Religion: Roman Catholic
Favourite Drink: Whiskey.
Bio: Born to a moderately wealthy landowning family a short distance outside of Brussels, Maximiliaan was brought up to hold traditionalist and conservative values. In his childhood, he witnessed the country he loved progressing down a path more and more shaped by liberal and socialist values, culminating in the rise of a socialist king. Having served in the military since he was 21 years old, de Haan has participated in several wars and rebellions across several continents, such as Tippu Tips rebellion and the African Mutiny, de Haan is at heart a military man, although he has since returned to tending to his properties, as well as participating in politics of course. Though brought up in a conservative household, de Haan is better classified as a reactionary, siding with the far-right in most cases, with the notable exception of his support for a Belgium free from monarchy.
 
((Nice, guys. :D))

I am sorry, Mr. Dupointe, but I have my own opinions. I apologize to the women. But this does not mean we should split the party because of a minor dispute.
Thank you.
Deputy de Coock
 
Name: Maximiliaan Willem de Haan
Place of Birth: Brussels, Belgium
Date of Birth: 28th of October, 1863
Nationality: Flemish
Religion: Roman Catholic
Favourite Drink: Whiskey.
Bio: Born to a moderately wealthy landowning family a short distance outside of Brussels, Maximiliaan was brought up to hold traditionalist and conservative values. In his childhood, he witnessed the country he loved progressing down a path more and more shaped by liberal and socialist values, culminating in the rise of a socialist king. Having served in the military since he was 21 years old, de Haan has participated in several wars and rebellions across several continents, such as Tippu Tips rebellion and the African Mutiny, de Haan is at heart a military man, although he has since returned to tending to his properties, as well as participating in politics of course. Though brought up in a conservative household, de Haan is better classified as a reactionary, siding with the far-right in most cases, with the notable exception of his support for a Belgium free from monarchy.
((Welcome :)))
 
deae320e4b2305ebe04aebd8f269008d53fc5dd7_Mazzini.jpg

Name: Maximiliaan Willem de Haan
Place of Birth: Brussels, Belgium
Date of Birth: 28th of October, 1863
Nationality: Flemish
Religion: Roman Catholic
Favourite Drink: Whiskey.
Bio: Born to a moderately wealthy landowning family a short distance outside of Brussels, Maximiliaan was brought up to hold traditionalist and conservative values. In his childhood, he witnessed the country he loved progressing down a path more and more shaped by liberal and socialist values, culminating in the rise of a socialist king. Having served in the military since he was 21 years old, de Haan has participated in several wars and rebellions across several continents, such as Tippu Tips rebellion and the African Mutiny, de Haan is at heart a military man, although he has since returned to tending to his properties, as well as participating in politics of course. Though brought up in a conservative household, de Haan is better classified as a reactionary, siding with the far-right in most cases, with the notable exception of his support for a Belgium free from monarchy.
((traitor, Belgians drink beer))
 
First of all, I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the welcoming into the Chamber of Deputies. I have fought for this country, time and time again, and to see fellow Belgians, fellow Deputies, welcome me into this sacred chamber fills me with pride for this country, and hope for the future. That we can put aside our political differences to show that we are brothers, compatriots, in our search for truth and justice show the Belgian people that your presence here was not a mistake. When I return home tonight, I will raise a glass in honour of you all.

Now, I must move on to less pleasant issues. The idea that women should be able to vote - I'll admit that I cannot stomach it. Are you so dissatisfied with our democracy that you must shake its very foundation in this manner? Let me remind you all that it is first and foremost men who go to the universities. Were we to give women the right to vote, we would suddenly bring in a gigantic mass of uneducated voters. No, I say that we build our democracy upon stable foundations, the same foundations that have served coups, revolutions and wars alike. There is no need for this change. Let me finally also say this: Allowing women the right to vote is cruelty to the women themselves. They have found peace with their husbands and found a stable job in raising the children, cooking and cleaning the home, and now you wish to pull them into the world of politics? To say that you liberals and socialists are fighting for women is damned lie, and I will not stand for it.

Suffrage Amendment: Nay
[RU]

- Maximiliaan Willem de Haan